


Scire

by fleurjaune



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (it's the gabenath), Amorality, Bad Decisions, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Drabble Collection, Drabble Sequence, Dubious Jusifications, F/M, Introspection, Mentioned Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Mentioned Emilie Agreste, Mentioned Nathalie Sancoeur, Minor Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur, No Plot/Plotless, POV Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Unhealthy Relationships, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28965120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurjaune/pseuds/fleurjaune
Summary: Gabriel Agreste isn't as unaware of things as people might think. A set of ten drabbles.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth & Nathalie Sancoeur
Comments: 8
Kudos: 26





	Scire

Despite what the world might think Gabriel Agreste isn’t oblivious to it despite the walls both metaphorical and physical he’s erected to separate himself.

If he was as blind as people thought he’d never have reached the position he’s in now. A talent for design isn’t enough. You have to be able to give people what they want, or at least convince them that you are, and neither is possible without being able to understand others.

And that was _before_ he had a Miraculous that sensed emotions.

So he knows more than even the people close to him might think.

* * *

He knows most people out there think he’s killed his wife. 

Making public declarations of denial would only raise suspicions further so he ignores it and the idiots who don’t know him or Emilie at all. He’ll prove them wrong when he _wins,_ and brings her back alive and well.

Besides it’s so patently false it’s easy to not let him bother him. He’d _never_ do what they’re accusing him of.

Sometimes at night though, when he wakes up and finds her half of the bed empty, he wonders if should he keep failing her he’d be vindicating the whisperers.

* * *

He knows that half of his own company thinks he’s sleeping with his assistant. That even _his own son_ believes Gabriel would betray his mother like that. 

That implication of disloyalty irritates him more than the accusation of uxorcide even though he’s aware it shouldn’t. Maybe because unlike those who think he’s a murderer not all those that think he’s an adulterer even condemn him for it. 

Some, including impossibly somehow Adrien, are even encouraging of it.

Once again he doesn’t do anything to quash the rumours.

It’s a safer explanation for Nathalie’s nights in the house than the truth.

* * *

He knows that his son is unhappy.

Adrien’s sadness sweeps though his Miraculous every so often despite the fact he never tries to focus those powers on him, but he doesn’t need that to know the boy is no longer happy in this house, because of course he isn’t.

His beloved mother has disappeared from his life without an explanation, it’s not as if Adrien _could_ be happy, any more than Gabriel himself can be.

Sometimes he thinks he should tell Adrien the truth. Sometimes he doesn’t know why he hasn’t.

Then he remembers how Adrien worships his main obstacle.

* * *

He knows Emilie wouldn’t approve.

Oh it would be hypocritical of her to take umbrage at _his_ usage of a Miraculous but little things like that have never got in the way of one of her glorious self-righteous rages.

She’d have found a way to get what they need without all these performances, without all of these failures, but Gabriel _isn’t_ Emilie and all he can do is continue what he’s doing.

There’s no choice because he can’t countenance the alternative.

Even though he knows he’s endangering their son.

And that’s the one thing she might never forgive him for.

* * *

He knows Adrien loves school.

It puzzles him, but he’s quite aware, and when he threatens to take it away he knows _exactly_ what he’s doing because otherwise it wouldn’t be an effective punishment.

Yet it’s also why he lets Adrien go despite the fact he’d be safer in the house, and he’d get a better education at home, and that he fears the attachments his son is developing to his classmates will be the real thing that will stop him understanding why Gabriel does what he does.

Nathalie had been right to argue for it, and he knows it.

* * *

He knows Nathalie is in love with him.

Unlike his son’s grief _this_ he might never have realised without the magic he wields despite the fact she’s killing herself for him. He’s so used to her doing what’s needful for him that he might never have questioned her motives if he hadn’t felt it.

It’s not as if she’d ever admit it to him.

He never says anything.

There’s no point when he can’t reciprocate, and when it’s clear she’d prefer him to never know.

He’s not _unnecessarily_ cruel.

And perhaps he doesn’t want to push away her uncritical support.

* * *

And yes, he knows that he’s letting her risk her life for him.

It’s not as if he hasn’t already seen one woman driven to the brink of death by the broken Peacock Miraculous.

Her determination to keep using it is frighteningly familiar too.

History repeats itself and maybe that explains why he never puts it permanently out of reach.

Or maybe it’s selfishness, because he _wants_ Emilie back, and Nathalie wants to give him that so why shouldn’t he let her and leave it to someone else to save her as he does Emilie?

He knows there isn’t anyone.

* * *

He knows he’s lying to himself when he pretends that just because Ladybug’s magic fixes all physical remnants of his attacks that means there’s no permanent impact.

The city lives in terror.

The majority of his targets, though not _all_ whatever they tell themselves, do regret what they do under the influence of his akumas.

He doesn’t care.

Getting what you want _always_ means climbing up over others. It’s not so different to when he was climbing up the ranks in the fashion world, just on a bigger scale

Besides Ladybug and Chat Noir could stop this at any time.

* * *

He knows his proof Adrien isn’t Chat Noir is hardly incontrovertible. He continues on anyway.

If he wasn’t misled then he can’t give up Emilie for a little bit of doubt.

If he was then Adrien will have to forgive him when he presents him with his mother recovered.

It does give him further pause about whether he _should_ tell Adrien because if his son has the Miraculous he needs then if Adrien knew the truth _he’d_ have to join their side and it would be easy to get Ladybug’s.

Except he doesn’t know what he’ll do if Adrien doesn’t.


End file.
